Obsessed with this book! I think that her unpretentious honesty and self confidence has created this masterpiece. Maybe instead of Virginia Woolf’s ‘room of one’s own’, some of us need an artic cabin of one’s own.
Does anyone else feel sad thinking about how different the arctic is now compared to when she went? Much as I'd love to run away I'd be too sad about the ice melting and worrying about if eider ducks and arctic foxes are going to survive!
Viewing through Christiane’s eyes as author, I give great credit to both Hermann and Karl in terms of their care for and appreciation of this inexperienced but incredibly strong and full-hearted woman. In turn, she is highly attuned to what’s driving them to be there long-term and for their love of the Arctic. A big takeaway from this section of the book is the brilliance of Christiane’s two-pronged engagement with the darkness/cold and solitude. She superbly manages the incredible constraints of her situation by working, working, working. She figures out quickly that physical activity tames her mind. But she also pulls way back and lovingly, gently sees the total darkness and the icy barrenness and the gigantic sky as a whole, as an ecosystem that makes sense and is stunningly gorgeous in its own right. Amid the danger and hardship in these chapters, there’s so much love.
I’m loving reading this book and each time I pick it up have the same sense of wonder I had when we all read The Children of Green Knowe. Whether it’s your choice of book, Katherine, the fact there are lots of us reading together or if it’s the joy of rediscovering just how magical being embraced by a book is, I’m finding the whole experience uplifting in these dark months. I’m finding balance of care the men show towards Christianne touching as they are especially mindful when she has the rar but give her the freedom to challenge herself when they are not there.
I don't know if this is in the section everyone is reading right now, but I liked how she would walk around the hut 20 times for exercise. Those pictures at the end are very cool. I live in Montana and we do get winters here. 'Berta
This is the section I read when we had a cold spell. My having to negotiate a slippery pavement and retrieve the base layers felt very tame in comparison! My mid life cravings for solitude don't go this far; they are accompanied by an appreciation of comfort and warmth! This week brought serendipity as I was invited to the opening of an exhibition about a colleague and partner's times in the far north, including Svalbard!! I was compelled to buy a textile hanging she wove on an antique loom in the hut!
Really loving the book and being a paid subscriber now. Looking forward to the zoom next week and found seeing these watercolours have really added to this experience. Thank you xxx💜
Beautiful book i would have no idea about if it wasnt for our bookclub. Thank you so much for putting it forward, so enjoying its darkness and surealness.
I’m thinking about ice and light since finishing the book. When the sun is rising I think, what if that’s all we got? When the moon is out I wonder what it would feel like for that to be the main source of light. I don’t think I could do it! I’m loving the ice on our bay this year. We don’t usually get such a deep freeze. I think about their coast time turning into a land mass. It is helping me appreciated the immense shift that winter is, that makes us all a little mad. There is great beauty when we look for it.
The madness of winter is so beautifully captured here I think. I spent a little time in Tromso in Polar twilight (the sun never quite making it above the horizon) and it was so strange. I just wanted to sleep all the time!
I’m obsessed with this book, and I feel so grateful to be reading it here together. I want everyone to read it. It is such a brutal and stripped down way to live, but she doesn’t spend time talking about longing for the comforts of home in Europe. Rather it seems like she pities those back home. A really timely book.
I haven’t yet acquired my copy of A Woman in the Polar Night, but I have been following your book club reading of it so far. Thank you so much for allowing me to have a glimpse into Christine‘s journey in this Arctic wilderness. Thank you for drawing me into Christine‘s almost supernatural experience in this wilderness of how she seems to be one with nature and reassures me that when we give ourselves to the natural world it becomes a mystical experience and invites us in! I’m eager to read the book for myself and look forward to sharing and reading more of this mystical, inspiring,yet deeply challenging journey that Christine and her husband and companion have made and experience.
I found that the chapters this week fitted so nicely with the weekend writing prompt on the textures of silence. The prompt led me to reflect on the layers of silence or solitude, sometimes of our own choosing or sometimes forced upon us, dictated by circumstances beyond our control. The experiences of the characters and their meeting of solitude and silence has been very interesting. At times, I have found it difficult to access the descriptive images of Christiane, so thank you for sharing these wonderful pictures which have helped me gain an insight into the visual world of the adventurers.
I think the pictures really help - apparently the original German edition has quite a few watercolours but for some reasons they didn’t make it into the English language edition 🤷♀️
I just became a paid subscriber. Reading Katherine’s posts on this book and everyone’s comments makes me wish I had done it sooner. Getting Braiding Sweetgrass now to prepare for next month.
I love the water colours you shared! I'm letting myself finish the book before I give.an opinion, but safe to say, it's helping me get through the bleak mid winter.
Obsessed with this book! I think that her unpretentious honesty and self confidence has created this masterpiece. Maybe instead of Virginia Woolf’s ‘room of one’s own’, some of us need an artic cabin of one’s own.
A whole polar region of our own!
Does anyone else feel sad thinking about how different the arctic is now compared to when she went? Much as I'd love to run away I'd be too sad about the ice melting and worrying about if eider ducks and arctic foxes are going to survive!
I agree - this book captures an Arctic that we're in the process of losing. I keep thinking what an important document it is.
Viewing through Christiane’s eyes as author, I give great credit to both Hermann and Karl in terms of their care for and appreciation of this inexperienced but incredibly strong and full-hearted woman. In turn, she is highly attuned to what’s driving them to be there long-term and for their love of the Arctic. A big takeaway from this section of the book is the brilliance of Christiane’s two-pronged engagement with the darkness/cold and solitude. She superbly manages the incredible constraints of her situation by working, working, working. She figures out quickly that physical activity tames her mind. But she also pulls way back and lovingly, gently sees the total darkness and the icy barrenness and the gigantic sky as a whole, as an ecosystem that makes sense and is stunningly gorgeous in its own right. Amid the danger and hardship in these chapters, there’s so much love.
This captures her so well!
I’m loving reading this book and each time I pick it up have the same sense of wonder I had when we all read The Children of Green Knowe. Whether it’s your choice of book, Katherine, the fact there are lots of us reading together or if it’s the joy of rediscovering just how magical being embraced by a book is, I’m finding the whole experience uplifting in these dark months. I’m finding balance of care the men show towards Christianne touching as they are especially mindful when she has the rar but give her the freedom to challenge herself when they are not there.
I hope we can continue to pick just the right books :)
I don't know if this is in the section everyone is reading right now, but I liked how she would walk around the hut 20 times for exercise. Those pictures at the end are very cool. I live in Montana and we do get winters here. 'Berta
She seems so organised about everything!
Then eventually it devolved into crawling around the hut!
This is the section I read when we had a cold spell. My having to negotiate a slippery pavement and retrieve the base layers felt very tame in comparison! My mid life cravings for solitude don't go this far; they are accompanied by an appreciation of comfort and warmth! This week brought serendipity as I was invited to the opening of an exhibition about a colleague and partner's times in the far north, including Svalbard!! I was compelled to buy a textile hanging she wove on an antique loom in the hut!
How perfect! I'd love to spend a little while in a cabin in the Arctic, but a warmer one with a reliable food supply please!
Really loving the book and being a paid subscriber now. Looking forward to the zoom next week and found seeing these watercolours have really added to this experience. Thank you xxx💜
Yay!
Beautiful book i would have no idea about if it wasnt for our bookclub. Thank you so much for putting it forward, so enjoying its darkness and surealness.
I've been itching to find a way to share it with everyone for a long time!
It's the sense of space, spareness and other worldliness that pulls me...an unforgettable book
It truly is!
I’m thinking about ice and light since finishing the book. When the sun is rising I think, what if that’s all we got? When the moon is out I wonder what it would feel like for that to be the main source of light. I don’t think I could do it! I’m loving the ice on our bay this year. We don’t usually get such a deep freeze. I think about their coast time turning into a land mass. It is helping me appreciated the immense shift that winter is, that makes us all a little mad. There is great beauty when we look for it.
The madness of winter is so beautifully captured here I think. I spent a little time in Tromso in Polar twilight (the sun never quite making it above the horizon) and it was so strange. I just wanted to sleep all the time!
I think I would have a really hard time getting out of the sleeping bag if I were in the hut!
I’m obsessed with this book, and I feel so grateful to be reading it here together. I want everyone to read it. It is such a brutal and stripped down way to live, but she doesn’t spend time talking about longing for the comforts of home in Europe. Rather it seems like she pities those back home. A really timely book.
That's the effect of this book - it makes you want to spread it like a gospel!
I haven’t yet acquired my copy of A Woman in the Polar Night, but I have been following your book club reading of it so far. Thank you so much for allowing me to have a glimpse into Christine‘s journey in this Arctic wilderness. Thank you for drawing me into Christine‘s almost supernatural experience in this wilderness of how she seems to be one with nature and reassures me that when we give ourselves to the natural world it becomes a mystical experience and invites us in! I’m eager to read the book for myself and look forward to sharing and reading more of this mystical, inspiring,yet deeply challenging journey that Christine and her husband and companion have made and experience.
Alma
I found that the chapters this week fitted so nicely with the weekend writing prompt on the textures of silence. The prompt led me to reflect on the layers of silence or solitude, sometimes of our own choosing or sometimes forced upon us, dictated by circumstances beyond our control. The experiences of the characters and their meeting of solitude and silence has been very interesting. At times, I have found it difficult to access the descriptive images of Christiane, so thank you for sharing these wonderful pictures which have helped me gain an insight into the visual world of the adventurers.
I think the pictures really help - apparently the original German edition has quite a few watercolours but for some reasons they didn’t make it into the English language edition 🤷♀️
I just became a paid subscriber. Reading Katherine’s posts on this book and everyone’s comments makes me wish I had done it sooner. Getting Braiding Sweetgrass now to prepare for next month.
Welcome! I love Braiding Sweetgrass :)
I just finished the book yesterday… couldn’t wait. Thank you for sharing the water colors!
I don't blame you!!
I love the water colours you shared! I'm letting myself finish the book before I give.an opinion, but safe to say, it's helping me get through the bleak mid winter.
Excellent :)